Female Pencak Silat athlete Nghe An and the 'sweet fruit' from passion

Desire and Hard Work

Born in 2007 in Dinh Son commune (Anh Son), no one in his family is into sports, but Thanh An showed his athletic talent from a young age.

With a physique and agility that surpasses that of his peers, Thanh An always stands out on the training grounds and the playing field. In 7th grade, Thanh An was sent by his mother to learn karate at a martial arts school in the district.

At the end of 8th grade, during a karate performance at an event held in Anh Son town, Thanh An was noticed by Mr. Tran Trong Cuong - at that time the head of the Pencak Silat department - who approached her and asked her to select her for the province's Pencak Silat team. Although Thanh An's mother was initially hesitant about her daughter pursuing a martial arts career, she finally agreed to An's eagerness and determination.

In August 2021, Thanh An started to practice at Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center. In the first days of getting acquainted with this martial art originating from Indonesia, although there were many difficulties, Thanh An quickly affirmed his talent through each exercise. Every move that the coach gave, he always tried to do many times to master it.

“When I first started practicing Pencak Silat, because of my tall stature, I was quite slow and mentally unstable. However, coaches Trinh Thi Mui and Phan Thi Huyen always encouraged and patiently guided me from the smallest things. In particular, I always remember what Ms. Phan Thi Huyen said: “You should never stop trying, I will always be by your side,” Thanh An shared.

Thanh An also said that not only martial arts but all other sports, if you want to succeed, if you want to reach glory, you must practice hard, have desire and burning determination.

To achieve good results in each tournament, one must go through a rigorous weight loss process. Besides, in martial arts training, injuries are inevitable. There were days after training when I felt pain, missed home and wanted to go home, but with the encouragement of teachers, family, friends, and seeing the achievements of other athletes, I tried to strive every day, continuing to stand up to overcome myself."

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Female Pencak Silat athlete Nguyen Thi Thanh An

After more than 10 months of training, in early March 2022, Nguyen Thi Thanh An was selected for the Nghe An provincial team to participate in the 2022 National Pencak Silat Club Championship held in Cao Bang province, competing in the combat event. Entering a major tournament for the first time, despite her inexperience and immature mentality, the 15-year-old girl unexpectedly won a Bronze Medal. This first medal in her life was an important mental boost for this female athlete from Anh Son district to confidently pursue a martial arts career.

Five months later, Nguyen Thi Thanh An continued to participate in a major national tournament, the 2022 National Youth Pencak Silat Championship held in Da Nang City. As with the previous National Pencak Silat Club Championship, Thanh An was selected by the coaching staff of the Nghe An Province Pencak Silat team to participate to learn and compete. However, the young athlete once again won the Bronze Medal.

Since then, Nguyen Thi Thanh An has been receiving advanced training from the Pencak Silat Nghe An coaching staff in the 78 kg weight class to aim for better results.

The Gold Medals

In March 2023, Nguyen Thi Thanh An participated in the National Pencak Silat Club Championship for the second time when the tournament was held in Ho Chi Minh City. This tournament had changes in the rules of striking and although Thanh An only got acquainted with the new rules 2 sessions before the competition, the 16-year-old athlete excellently won the Gold Medal in the 78-weight category, age group 15-17.

In July 2023, at the National Youth Pencak Silat Championship, Thanh An also won a Gold Medal. With her signature outside-catching and leg-locking moves, this female athlete has affirmed her position in the 78kg weight class for the 15-17 age group. After the impressive Gold Medals, in January 2024, Nguyen Thi Thanh An was called up to the national youth team.

In early April, atNational Pencak Silat Club Championship 2024held at home, Thanh An continued to win another Gold Medal. “This is the tournament where I showed my strengths and my signature moves. Through this tournament, I see that in addition to good technical and tactical preparation, an athlete who wants to win must have a strong mentality, a strong will and not give up in the face of difficulties, and this is also the experience for me to be able to go further in the future”, Nguyen Thi Thanh An shared.

Thanh An said that his upcoming plan is to try to practice to win Gold Medals in national tournaments and keep his place in the national youth team to participate in international tournaments.

Nguyen Thi Thanh An is an athlete with good physique, especially a very strong will and a good sense of discipline in training and living. Therefore, although at first she was a bit behind in technique compared to her peers, she has now made very rapid progress. In addition, An is also very open, sociable, and knows how to care for her teammates.

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Pencak Silat Coach Phan Thi Huyen (Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center)

Coach Phan Thi Huyen also said that, in the past, more than 10 years ago, Pencak Silat Nghe An used to have outstanding athletes such as Truong Van Mao, Vo Thi Hue... However, in recent years, the development of this sport has slowed down compared to other provinces, cities and industries in the country. Many athletes have reached maturity but due to family and economic conditions, they have asked to retire and no longer pursue sports, so the current athlete force of the sport is quite young.

However, with the passion and efforts of young athletes such as Lo Van Viet, Cao Thuy Tien, Chu Thi Phuong Thao and especially Nguyen Thi Thanh An, Pencak Silat Nghe An is gradually improving its achievements in tournaments. Currently, the coaching staff is trying to prepare the best force for national tournaments this year, in which priority is given to athletes who are capable of competing for medals, while also creating conditions for young athletes to compete, gain experience, and improve their professional level and experience"./.